Police investigate break-in at Taunton's PACC

Tuesday

TAUNTON — Details are scant, but a break-in occurred over the weekend at the Portuguese American Civic Club.

General manager Fred Martin said the breaking and entering apparently happened sometime early Monday morning after the bar had closed down Sunday night.

Martin would only say that a maintenance/clean-up worker the following morning discovered that someone had broken in.

“Someone broke in, it's as simple as that," he said.

"Obviously stuff was broken,” he added, when asked how the maintenance man knew that was something was not right.

Martin, however, said Tuesday the downstairs bar and lounge are now open for business.

He declined to discuss whether cash or any other items were stolen or if the club has a closed-circuit surveillance system that would have recorded the image of the person or persons who broke in.

Capt. David Warish, who heads up the police department’s detective division, would only say that the case is currently under investigation.

The PACC at 175 School St. was recently mentioned in the Taunton Daily Gazette, as part of a story about two Acushnet sisters with a food truck business — who will use the club’s kitchen for catering future fundraising and charity events.

The Portuguese American Civic Club was founded in 1929 and is open to the public. Fundraisers through the years have been held in its outdoor pavilion, which includes cooking pits for meat-on-stick events.

Renting the pavilion for an event is $250.

Members who pay an annual fee of $35 are entitled to free pool games; a discount for rental of the club’s function hall; a free ticket to the annual Member’s Day Barbeque; Sunday morning golf group games; and other members-only events.